Halogenated alkanes are useful intermediates for many products including agricultural products, pharmaceuticals, cleaning solvents, solvents, gums, silicones, and refrigerants. The processes to prepare halogenated alkanes can be time consuming, moderately efficient, and lack reproducibility.
Chloropropanes especially 1,1,1,3-tetrachloropropane and 1,1,1,3,3-pentachloropropane, are useful intermediates for many products especially for refrigerants. A general process for their preparation consists of reacting an alkene, carbon tetrachloride, a trialkylphosphate, and an iron catalyst. U.S. Pat. No. 4,650,914 teaches such a process where the process is conducted in batch mode, using a non-powder form of an iron and mechanical stirring. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,313,360 and 8,907,147 disclose a continuous process using powdered iron and mechanical stirring. In each of these cases, these processes can be moderately efficient yet lack reproducibility and consistent yields. Developing a process which can prepare halogenated alkanes, and chlorinated propanes where the process would exhibit high reproducible, consistent higher yields, utilizes various recycling strategies, and greater through-put would be advantageous.